The answer is:

>! **SPHINX**

The image at the top should be interpreted as cluing:

>! **CLOCKWISE** (CLOCK + WISE, indicated by super-scientist Albert Einstein pointing to his brain)

For each of the four separate shapes containing various letters we then:

>! identify the letters that are indicated by the corresponding number sequences above, counting *clockwise* around the shape from the red space, which should be considered as space number one.  
>!  
>! For example, for the left-hand rectangle containing the red S, we need to extract the letters that can be found in the 6th, 8th and 4th positions when counting clockwise around from the red S.  These are (respectively) F, A and L.

Doing this produces the following letter sequences:

>! Circle: **HUMAN**  
>! Left-hand rectangle: **FAL**  
>! Square: **LION**  
>! Right-hand rectangle: **CON**

Notice now that these four shapes actually...

>! ...resemble a figure - you can perceive it as a head with a body and two wings. So we need to ask ourselves what (mythological) creature has the the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of a falcon (FAL+CON)?  
>!  
>! The answer is a **[SPHINX](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphinx)**!